The new two-story Anna Maria Island Community Center had its official opening - twice, in fact - with a private, invitation-only Friday night party to recognize donors and patrons of the facility, and a day-long Saturday celebration for the public that also featured a finale to the soccer season Saturday and Sunday.

Anna Maria’s transportation enhancement grant committee did a walking tour of Pine Avenue and Gulf Drive on Monday, Nov. 12, to establish a list of streetscaping locations that might benefit from some of the $358,000 the committee will allocate.

A Holmes Beach lawyer who contacted Anna Maria Mayor Fran Barford to offer his services for any legal team that would deal with the Florida Department of Transportation related to the Anna Maria Island Bridge closure issue said there was a slight misunderstanding between himself and the mayor.

At the Mantee County administration building and during the recent town meeting, even in bridge-focused chit-chat at the Anna Maria post office and at the Island Branch Library, Save Anna Maria Inc. is characterized as the group that’s against a new bridge.

The Coalition Against Rising Taxation grassroots organization has given a “temporary” thumbs down to the Florida Legislature’s recently passed tax bill designed to ease the tax burden of Florida homeowners.

With the continuing drama of GSR Development LLC due to resume on Jan. 10, 2008, in federal bankruptcy court, Island residents Mel and Carole Yudofsky and Kent Davis, along with former Islander Patricia Hart, last week retained attorney Steve Berman. He will represent their interests in the “adversarial action” against GSR Development LLC principals Robert Byrne and Steve Noriega, and other “targets.”

The Islander newspaper on Nov. 9 held its second annual celebration honoring veterans and Veterans Day as more than 125 veterans, spouses and family members attended the ceremony at the Anna Maria Island Butterfly Garden and Veterans Memorial at Holmes Beach City Hall.